Blog

Looking back at 2018 the staff and members of SICA were busy! It seems like there is always a lot going on in the SICA world and one might wonder if there is ever a slow time in our office (we don’t think there is a slow time)! Let’s look at some the big moments at SICA in 2018...  

Starting with our Estimating courses in January we used video conferencing to provide an opportunity for those who live outside the area of the course location to join the course. This allowed access to the training courses to a wider range of individuals who could complete interactive learning experience from the comfort of their own location while saving time, travel and money. Participants joined our Kelowna classroom from Revelstoke, Kamloops, Coquitlam, Surrey, and Logan Lake through the video conferencing option.  

In February we held our 18th Annual CCO Workshop at the Manteo Resort in Kelowna. About 100 attendees joined us for an open and constructive conversation about safety in the construction industry. We’ve opened registration for the 2019 CCO Workshop, this year’s theme is Together We Build. 
 
Also, in February the new look for BidCentral projects launched! 
 

In March, Terry Brown, past SICA Chair and active member was awarded the Canadian Construction Association’s person of the year award their 100th Anniversary Conference in Banff. Read more here.

Our planrooms get upgraded with colour plan copy capabilities! The Kamloops office gets brand new colour plan printer with colour scanning and the Kelowna office gets a colour plan printer. You can now order your plancopies in colour from both Kelowna and Kamloops starting at $3.50/page!  

We also received several requests to go directly to a member company's location and deliver training to their employees on-site. This format makes scheduling for training much easier and more convient for the company. Courses included safety training, equipment training and management skill building courses.

April 2018 was the first ever Construction & Skilled Trades Month. To celebrate events were held across the province, including a breakfast event in Kamloops in partnership with TRU Trades and CHBA Central Interior.  

A second construction breakfast was held in Kelowna with Okanagan College and CHBA Central Okanagan. Both breakfast’s saw attendees from foundation and apprenticeship programs and members from SICA and CHBA.  

Also in April, SICA helped host the 10th Anniversary of Heavy Metal Rocks in Kamloops. This project provides opportunities for 26 Grade 11 and 12 students from the School District No. 73 to explore career opportunities in the heavy equipment operator field. The program has been a great success over the last ten years due to the amazing support of the local Kamloops construction industry! SICA is proud to have been volunteering and contributing to the program since it's inception.

In May, we hosted our second Annual Family Fishing event with CapriCMW Insurance. Both SICA and CapriCMW couldn’t be happier with how the event turned out. In particular, it was the smiles on everyone’s faces and the impact that the day had on our friends with disabilities. Watch for information on the 2019 Family Fishing event coming soon! 

Also in May, SICA delivered Industry Safety Training courses in Kamloops for the BladeRunners program. 18 students received safety certificates for 9 courses (Fall Protection, Confined Space, EWP, CSTS, WHMIS, First-Aid, Traffic Control, Rough Terrain Forklift, Counter Balance Forklift) which enhanced the student’s resumes increasing employment opportunities. 

This year we decided to combine our Kelowna Golf Tournament, typically held in June and our AGM Golf Tournament, usually held in September, into one Golf Tournament event. The result was our largest golf tournament in recent years with 144 golfers and a sizable wait list. With feedback like “this was by far the best version of this event we have ever been to!” we are excited to make the 2019 SICA Golf Tournament even better!  

Our annual Trap & Skeet Event in Kamloops is always a favorite, both for members and staff. Nothing too complicated at this event, a shoot-out, cook your own steaks and good conversation with fellow SICA members. The Trap & Skeet was a great way to wrap up our summer networking events. 

You can see all the photos for the Trap & Skeet and Golf Tournament on our Facebook Page. 

While many of us were enjoying summer vacation in July, the provincial government made the announcement about their new Community Benefits Agreement. Our phones started ringing off the hook and many emails from concerned members were received. SICA, along with the British Columbia Construction Association and our regional association partners (NRCA, VICA and VRCA) worked together to advocate on behalf of our members. Read about our progress on this and other advocacy issues here.

In September, we hosted members at our annual Chair Dinner & Awards Night. This night recognizes the efforts of our many volunteers, who generously donate their time for our board and various committees and the members who are celebrating membership anniversaries.  

In addition, we recognize Gold Seal Certificate recipients, Howard Strong Scholarship recipients. We also award the Innovation Award, the 2018 ward went to Emil Anderson Construction and the Howard Strong Industry Builder Award which went to David Langton of Competition Glass. Richard Owen of Interior Plumbing & Heating received Honorary SICA Membership for his contributions over the years and Al. Carmel, P. Eng received the 2018 Consultant Award.  

You can see all the event photos for the Chair Dinner & Awards Night on our Facebook Page. 

In partnership with the BC Construction Association, we held a Town Hall Meeting with members and our local MLA’s to discuss the Community Benefits Agreement and the effect the agreement could have on the construction industry. Read the summary of all the Town Hall Meetings held across BC.  

In October we ran a 3 week Build It Program with ASETS at the Coldwater Band in Merritt. Students had practical hands-on experience alongside a professional carpenter and gained the basic skills that can be applied to any construction jobsite.

Leanne and Jennifer attended several Education & Career Fairs throughout the region, including a few in October. In attending all these functions we were able to display a table showcasing our courses and connecting with service providers in our region.  Education & Career Fair in Kelowna, BCCSA Workshop in Kelowna, ASETS Education Fair in Kamloops, WorkBC Seminar in Kelowna.  

Throughout the year we delivered informational monthly safety meetings free to our SICA members.  These one hour sessions are intended to discuss relevant and important topics that members can take back to their own companies as education tidbits and pass on information to their own employees. 

Our first campaign through the Construction Foundation was to support the design lab at Peter Greer Elementary in Lake Country. Through donations at our annual golf tournament and funds contributed directly by SICA members the SICA fund was able to purchase a variety of hand tools and small power tools. This design lab will enable over 100 Grade 4-6 students to experience a hands-on introduction to the trades. In November, Candace and Carolyn joined the Construction Foundation at Peter Greer for the official donation. 

To wrap up 2018 we held holiday celebrations with members in Kamloops, Kelowna, Vernon and Penticton. You can see all the event photos on our Facebook Page. 

 Thank you for following along! We can’t wait to see what is in store for 2019 and our 50th Anniversary year. Make sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram to stay up to date with the latest SICA news!